Mamba Week
Day One: Passion
“It’s a constant quest to try to be better today than you were yesterday."
Kobe Bryant on Mamba Mentality
Passion: Obsession Fuels Victory
Kobe defined Passion as devoting yourself to a goal through relentless commitment and dedication. To him, Passion was the cornerstone of the Mamba Mentality. For Day One of Mamba Week, our Mamba Mentors will pass on to you what Kobe passed on to them about Passion.
There’s no becoming a successful athlete without Passion, and nobody proved that better than Kobe. It’s how he’s inspired Sky Brown to “Keep on pushing boundaries,” and strive to one day grab a gold medal on the world’s biggest stage.
For others, like Anthony Davis, it’s what gets him charged up: “I want to be upset when we lose, you know? You want that competitive spirit because it only fuels your Passion even more.”
“People just don’t understand how obsessed I am with winning.”
Kobe Bryant
When you’re in a league of your own, some people might see your Passion as a negative, but to Naomi Osaka it’s a necessary part of her growth as an athlete: “I would say for me that might be considered a bad trait, but I think I've learned so many valuable things being that competitive and that passionate.”
“I know passion found me when, it's all I can think about. It consumes me every single day, every single moment, every single conversation I have.”
Diana Taurasi
You don’t inspire generations of athletes without Passion. It's Passion that imprints the Mamba Mentality on so many of the current and up-and-coming athletes as they strive to be the best players they can. What is Passion to the rest of our Mamba Week athletes?
To Devin Booker, it’s “devoting yourself to your goals.” To Sabrina Ionescu, it’s "being committed to learning how to be the best that I can be.” To Sydney Leroux, it’s “keeping that fire to always work hard, and go for as long as that fire's still burning.” And to Jewell Loyd, it’s when “you can't stop thinking about it. I feel it in my gut because that passion is always brewing.”
It’s visible in every athlete doing what they do on and off the court with as much heart and excitement as they’ve got. Make Kobe proud, and let your Passion take your game to the next level.
There’s no becoming a successful athlete without Passion, and nobody proved that better than Kobe. It’s how he’s inspired Sky Brown to “Keep on pushing boundaries,” and strive to one day grab a gold medal on the world’s biggest stage.
For others, like Anthony Davis, it’s what gets him charged up: “I want to be upset when we lose, you know? You want that competitive spirit because it only fuels your Passion even more.”
“People just don’t understand how obsessed I am with winning.”
Kobe Bryant
When you’re in a league of your own, some people might see your Passion as a negative, but to Naomi Osaka it’s a necessary part of her growth as an athlete: “I would say for me that might be considered a bad trait, but I think I've learned so many valuable things being that competitive and that passionate.”
“I know passion found me when, it's all I can think about. It consumes me every single day, every single moment, every single conversation I have.”
Diana Taurasi
You don’t inspire generations of athletes without Passion. It's Passion that imprints the Mamba Mentality on so many of the current and up-and-coming athletes as they strive to be the best players they can. What is Passion to the rest of our Mamba Week athletes?
To Devin Booker, it’s “devoting yourself to your goals.” To Sabrina Ionescu, it’s "being committed to learning how to be the best that I can be.” To Sydney Leroux, it’s “keeping that fire to always work hard, and go for as long as that fire's still burning.” And to Jewell Loyd, it’s when “you can't stop thinking about it. I feel it in my gut because that passion is always brewing.”
It’s visible in every athlete doing what they do on and off the court with as much heart and excitement as they’ve got. Make Kobe proud, and let your Passion take your game to the next level.
Put Your Mamba Mentality to Work
Here’s two ways you can start being better, right now.
Rise to the Mamba Mentality Challenge
Tap into your passion to take on the Mamba Mentality Challenge on NTC — a series of daily workouts designed to help you be better every day. Start now to track your progress between Day One and Day Five of Mamba Week.